West Ham warned about selling Declan Rice to Chelsea this summer window

West Ham have been warned that selling Declan Rice to Chelsea would be a “big gamble”, by Joe Cole.

It is no secret that the club are massive fans of Rice with suggestions that Frank Lampard wants to make him the last transfer signing of the summer after spending over £200 million on players that have improved the side.

But Cole believes the Hammers need to be doing all they can to retain the services of a prized asset, even if talk of £40 million ($52m) bids being in the offing proves to be correct.

He was quoted on GOAL: “It would be a big gamble to let him go because he is the most important player in that dressing room.

“We talk about what he is worth as an asset to the club financially but how much is it worth to stay in the Premier League?

“When you have got the back three and him and [Tomas] Soucek, and Noble to come in, all of a sudden you have got a nice solid base to build on there.

“We have talked about the disconnect between the ownership group and the fans and I think it will be a step too far if they let him go.

“I don’t know what’s in the lad’s heart or head, what does he want to do, but he is a fantastic player, a fantastic lad and a big asset to this club. He is so important to this West Ham team.”

Look, if WE DO MAKE A MOVE, how Could Rice turn down the opportunity to make that step up in the game?

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